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Kelly's World
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Published: April 16, 2017

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If you need a reason to believe in God, search no further than Matthew McDonnell. He has lived most of his seven years in the shadow of death. Each time darkness fell, he was raised up by the light inside him. Patrick and Linda McDonnell live to keep their boy’s batteries charged.

“He is truly a miracle,” Linda said Thursday, still sleepy from the overnight drive from Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., to the family’s South Abington Twp. home. As we chatted, microscopic assassins coursed through Matthew’s blood. Linda was excited about the carnage to come.

“It takes eight weeks to train them,” she said of the experimental “ninja cells” designed to annihilate stragglers loyal to Wilms tumor, a rare kidney cancer that tried to kill Matthew. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he was diagnosed disease-free. The ninjas are punctuation at the end of what once read as a death sentence.

The ninjas are T-cells, taken from Matthew’s body, genetically modified and reintroduced to his battered system. Like a true 7-year-old, he sees them as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” bringing kung-fu no cancer can resist.

Like a mother who truly believes the Creator has a higher purpose for her little boy, Linda sees the hand of God in the science that saved him. The good news of Matthew’s cancer-free status came on Passover, which Linda and Patrick read as a divine answer to innumerable prayers.

In Hebrew, Matthew’s name means “gift from God.”

“That really struck me,” Linda said of the Passover blessing. “Could there be a more biblical confirmation of our faith?”

Raised Catholic, Linda said the family doesn’t claim any denomination. They’re “just Christians,” she said. “We don’t put any label on it.”

Amen. Labels impose limits. The Gospel of Matthew McDonnell colors outside the lines of any ideology. I lack the space here to document Matthew’s many medical setbacks. They are too numerous and beside the point.

It is enough to note that Matthew has been through hell and never lost faith in tomorrow. On one late-night rush to the hospital, he said, “Mommy, we just have to take a leap of faith into God’s arms.” Matthew is always saying such things. He is a young boy with an old soul.

Matthew’s inner light illuminates his community. Hundreds turned out for a December hot cocoa sale that raised $6,800 for kids with cancer. Legions of locals pray for him. Students at Valley View Elementary Center sent Matthew get-well cards. His response:

“Thank you for the cards. They inspired me. I am 100% and I am home. I am in first grade. My favarit (sic) color is green. I like to play video games. Love, Matthew.”

Linda and Patrick hope to have Matthew back in school at South Abington Elementary soon. A photo posted on the Team Matthew Facebook page is testament to the hope they share. Linda holds Matthew as sunshine beams in the background. Of all the depictions of Madonna and Child I’ve seen, it is the most inspiring.

“There are a lot of people, a lot of families who suffer,” Linda said. “We’ve been blessed with a community that has surrounded us with love and support. We can never repay them, but we will pay it forward.”

I spoke with Matthew by phone on Good Friday. He asked me to thank everyone who prayed for him and reminded us to “think of God every day.” Also, he still wants to be a doctor and a “You-Tuber.” I don’t know what that is, but I’m still smiling.

I earn my living in a cynical business. If not for violations of the 10 Commandments, I’d have to get a real job. Stories like Matthew’s are revelations. Attention must be paid. Still, any mention of spirituality makes some readers squeamish. I get that. My Presbyterian upbringing predisposes me to skepticism of overt professions of faith.

When I speak with Matthew, I know God exists.

Faith is free until tested. Like life insurance, its value rises in installments, each payment accruing toward a final reward. Departure is a condition of deliverance. The time in between is a gift from God.

Maybe you don’t believe in God. Maybe you do, but organized religion leaves you cold. Maybe you don’t believe in any power greater than humanity. Belief is a choice, and we are all free to seek our own sources of light when darkness falls.

If you need a reason to believe, the Gospel of Matthew McDonnell offers evidence all the words in the world can’t provide.

Living proof.

CHRIS KELLY, The Times-Tribune columnist, is thankful for souls like Matthew McDonnell. Contact the writer: kellysworld@timesshamrock.com. Read his award-winning blog at blogs.thetimes-tribune.com/kelly.

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